We knew that Backbone was gearing up to launch a version of its mobile gaming controller to work on Android devices, with preorders opening as early as July. And today, the company has officially announced that the Backbone One for Android is available now.

Released in 2020, the Backbone One is a bone-shaped mobile controller that attaches directly to your smartphone. Unlike some controllers that require a Bluetooth connection, the Backbone One connects to your phone by plugging it into the applicable connector (Lightning or USB-C) on the right side of the controller — a concept similar to that of attaching Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch.

Of course, this is not the first time Backbone One offered Android support. Last year, the company launched Backbone+, a subscription service that not only includes improved game recording features, but allows users the option to use the controller to play games on tablets like the iPad as well as Android devices, but only if you had the applicable USB cable to connect the two devices together.

The release of Backbone for Android comes months after Razer released a revision of their Kishi mobile gaming controller that looks similar to the Backbone One. In my review, I noted that the Razer Kishi V2 was "a good alternative for Android users that want a Backbone-like accessory for mobile and cloud gaming," but some of my biggest criticisms were the lack of a headphone jack, the lack of native support for Call of Duty: Mobile, and the sluggish performance in the Kishi V2's companion app, Nexus.

In comparison, the Backbone One for Android offers a headphone jack, like its iOS counterpart. IGN can also confirm that the Backbone for Android offers native controller support for Call of Duty: Mobile. Another distinction is that the Kisi V2 includes multiple adapters in the packaging that fit into the device to ensure the controller is future-proofed for newer phones. Although Backbone does not offer the same thing, the company did make an adapter last year to address the camera bump issue with the iPhone 13 Pro smartphones.

As noted on Backbone's official website, the Android version of the controller is compatible with most Android phones. While the listing does not currently mention the recently-released Pixel 7 series, Backbone told IGN that the Backbone One for Android does support the latest generation of Pixel smartphones.

The Backbone One for Android, just like the iOS version, costs $99.99 and is currently available on Backbone's official website and Best Buy. Sadly, Android users can only choose black as its color option, with the PlayStation-themed variant exclusive to iOS users at the moment. The listing notes that shipping is slated to begin in December, but if you preordered one before November 1, you will receive it before the end of the month.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

We knew that Backbone was gearing up to launch a version of its mobile gaming controller to work on Android devices, with preorders opening as early as July. And today, the company has officially announced that the Backbone One for Android is available now.

Released in 2020, the Backbone One is a bone-shaped mobile controller that attaches directly to your smartphone. Unlike some controllers that require a Bluetooth connection, the Backbone One connects to your phone by plugging it into the applicable connector (Lightning or USB-C) on the right side of the controller — a concept similar to that of attaching Joy-Cons to your Nintendo Switch.

Of course, this is not the first time Backbone One offered Android support. Last year, the company launched Backbone+, a subscription service that not only includes improved game recording features, but allows users the option to use the controller to play games on tablets like the iPad as well as Android devices, but only if you had the applicable USB cable to connect the two devices together.

The release of Backbone for Android comes months after Razer released a revision of their Kishi mobile gaming controller that looks similar to the Backbone One. In my review, I noted that the Razer Kishi V2 was "a good alternative for Android users that want a Backbone-like accessory for mobile and cloud gaming," but some of my biggest criticisms were the lack of a headphone jack, the lack of native support for Call of Duty: Mobile, and the sluggish performance in the Kishi V2's companion app, Nexus.

In comparison, the Backbone One for Android offers a headphone jack, like its iOS counterpart. IGN can also confirm that the Backbone for Android offers native controller support for Call of Duty: Mobile. Another distinction is that the Kisi V2 includes multiple adapters in the packaging that fit into the device to ensure the controller is future-proofed for newer phones. Although Backbone does not offer the same thing, the company did make an adapter last year to address the camera bump issue with the iPhone 13 Pro smartphones.

As noted on Backbone's official website, the Android version of the controller is compatible with most Android phones. While the listing does not currently mention the recently-released Pixel 7 series, Backbone told IGN that the Backbone One for Android does support the latest generation of Pixel smartphones.

The Backbone One for Android, just like the iOS version, costs $99.99 and is currently available on Backbone's official website and Best Buy. Sadly, Android users can only choose black as its color option, with the PlayStation-themed variant exclusive to iOS users at the moment. The listing notes that shipping is slated to begin in December, but if you preordered one before November 1, you will receive it before the end of the month.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

The Book of Boba Fett introduced the terrifying Wookiee bounty hunter Black Krrsantan into live-action. That surprise reveal continues to pay off for fans of the character, as now Krrsantan is being immortalized in a truly imposing mini-bust from Gentle Giant Ltd.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive first look at the Book of Boba Fett: Krrsantan 1:6 Scale Mini Bust:

Wookie characters can be notoriously difficult to recreate in action figure and statue form, thanks to all the hair and fine details required. Even Chewbacca himself has had a fairly rocky history on the collectibles front. But with this bust, Gentle Giant's designers look to have done an excellent job of sculpting Krrsantan and making him look like he stepped right off the screen. And even if The Book of Boba Fett isn't your cup of blue milk, this bust should pair nicely with Gentle Giant's previous, Marvel Comics-inspired Doctor Aphra and Triple Zero busts.

The Krrsantan bust is sculpted of polystone and measures about 6 inches tall. The bust is priced at $150 and is limited to 1000 pieces worldwide. It's slated for release in Summer 2023. Preorders for Krrsanatan will go live on Gentle Giant's site and other retailers on Friday, November 2018.

You can also expect Krrsantan to appear on the IGN Store, where he'll join an already massive lineup of T-shirts, action figures and other Star Wars collectibles.

For more on The Boopk of Boba Fett, find out what that series reveals about the direction of The Mandalorian: Season 3 and brush up on all the Star Wars movies and series in the works.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

The Book of Boba Fett introduced the terrifying Wookiee bounty hunter Black Krrsantan into live-action. That surprise reveal continues to pay off for fans of the character, as now Krrsantan is being immortalized in a truly imposing mini-bust from Gentle Giant Ltd.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive first look at the Book of Boba Fett: Krrsantan 1:6 Scale Mini Bust:

Wookie characters can be notoriously difficult to recreate in action figure and statue form, thanks to all the hair and fine details required. Even Chewbacca himself has had a fairly rocky history on the collectibles front. But with this bust, Gentle Giant's designers look to have done an excellent job of sculpting Krrsantan and making him look like he stepped right off the screen. And even if The Book of Boba Fett isn't your cup of blue milk, this bust should pair nicely with Gentle Giant's previous, Marvel Comics-inspired Doctor Aphra and Triple Zero busts.

The Krrsantan bust is sculpted of polystone and measures about 6 inches tall. The bust is priced at $150 and is limited to 1000 pieces worldwide. It's slated for release in Summer 2023. Preorders for Krrsanatan will go live on Gentle Giant's site and other retailers on Friday, November 2018.

You can also expect Krrsantan to appear on the IGN Store, where he'll join an already massive lineup of T-shirts, action figures and other Star Wars collectibles.

For more on The Boopk of Boba Fett, find out what that series reveals about the direction of The Mandalorian: Season 3 and brush up on all the Star Wars movies and series in the works.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Bioshock creator Ken Levine and Take-Two Interactive are involved with the upcoming movie, which is apparently “really true” to the game.

During an interview with Collider, director Francis Lawrence explained how Netflix has given him free rein to tackle the movie as he sees fit… and that means working alongside the game’s creator.

“Basically, me and Cameron [MacConomy] who works with me, and Michael [Green] are getting to do what we want to do, which is great,” he said. “A lot of it is staying really true to the game itself, and we're talking to Take-Two [Interactive] and Ken Levine.”

Bioshock was originally released in 2007 and soon became a firm favorite of gamers everywhere.

IGN’s Bioshock review gave it 9.7/10 and called it “a monolithic example of the convergence of entertaining gameplay and an irresistibly sinister, engrossing storyline that encompasses a host of multifaceted characters.”

Renowned for its dystopian setting and retro-futuristic tone, it’s often considered to be one of the greatest games of all time… and the film’s director agrees.

“I think it's one of the best games ever created,” he said. “It's also, I think, one of the most visually unique games ever created. The other thing, and one of the things that always appeals to me, is it is very thematic. There's real ideas and philosophies underneath the game property, and it's really, really, really thought out. A lot of games may have a great world of some kind, or they may have a great lead character, or they may tee you up for great set pieces, but they don't really have the ideas, they don't have the kind of weight and the gravitas that Bioshock does. The sort of combo of real ideas and philosophies mixed with the unbelievable aesthetic of it.”

Although the original game was a first-person shooter, it was also a mashup of different genres, with its retro-futuristic sci-fi setting as a perfect backdrop for the body horror of the splicers.

Will the movie capture this? That’s a little more complicated…

“I don't want to get into it too much now because it's pretty early on in the process, but I certainly have not felt stifled in any way, or sent in any directions with Netflix.”

The upcoming Bioshock movie was officially announced earlier this year despite different versions being in development for many years prior to this. In fact, Gore Verbinski’s planned Bioshock movie was just 8 weeks away from filming.

Want to read more about Bioshock? Check out why the Bioshock movie should go back to the beginning as well as where Bioshock sits in our top Xbox 360 games of all time.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

As Twitter developers scramble to implement new features, but a fairly important one seems to have stopped working for some users – two-factor authentication.

Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter has brought plenty of complications, with new features such as the infamous $8 a month verification and “official” accounts rolled out with reckless abandon.

Now, it looks as though certain legacy features aren’t working, as two-factor authentication begins causing issues for some users.

“Don't log out of Twitter if you have 2FA,” said one Twitter user. “The microservice for it has been shut down. You won't be able to log back in.”

Don't log out of Twitter if you have 2FA. The microservice for it has been shut down. You won't be able to log back in. https://t.co/T6AevAFPCp

— Toon Brains (@Cartoonbrains) November 14, 2022

The issue seems to come from the shutdown of a large number of Twitter’s microservices, which was intended to improve timeline performance.

Instead, it seems to have, well… broken a few things.

Notably, in the case of two-factor authentication, it seems that some users are experiencing long delays when Twitter texts out authentication codes, and in some cases, users aren’t receiving them at all.

To clear up confusion about two-factor authentication on Twitter –– it’s still live and a good way to protect your account. If you have it turned on, your chosen authentication method should be good to go.

We’re looking into the few cases where SMS codes aren't being delivered.

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) November 15, 2022

However, while some users reported that two-factor authentication was no longer working, Twitter support tells a slightly different story.

“To clear up confusion about two-factor authentication on Twitter — it’s still live and a good way to protect your account,” they explained. “If you have it turned on, your chosen authentication method should be good to go. We’re looking into the few cases where SMS codes aren't being delivered.”

The social media platform has been in turmoil recently, following new owner Elon Musk’s drastic and sweeping measures to cut costs. These range from cutting the entire Twitter Gaming department, to getting rid of company-funded meals for employees.

Additionally, Musk has publicly floated new ideas for the platform which have often proven divisive, such as the paid verification and paywalled video.

Whether or not the platform’s 2FA issues are related to the shuttering of microservices remains to be seen, but many believe that the platform faces further troubles under Musk’s command. Only time will tell.

Want to read more about Twitter? Find out about Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover and the chaos that followed and find out why video game news account Nibel has left the platform.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is up for Best Soundtrack at this year’s Grammys along with scores for games like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed.

The full list of 2023 Grammy nominations was announced earlier today, with Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media including some surprising names, including:

• Aliens: Fireteam Elite (Austin Wintory)
• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarok (Stephanie Economou)
• Call Of Duty: Vanguard (Bear McCreary)
• Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy (Richard Jacques)
• Old World (Christopher Tin)

Of course, 2023 marks the first-ever Grammy for Video Game music, meaning one of these games will head home with a historic award.

Best Soundtrack for #VideoGame Soundtracks is WAY overdue.

That's certainly a change I am very glad to see added this year. #GRAMMYs

— Kira Grunenberg (@shadowmelody1) November 15, 2022

Music from video games has been eligible for Grammy nominations since 1999, with Civilization theme Baba Yetu winning the award for Best Instrumental Arrangement in 2011 and the Journey soundtrack earning a nomination in 2012.

“Overlooked and underappreciated” explained EA president of music, Steve Schnur in an interview with Variety. “Not just for the level of quality, but also the magnitude of success, how relevant it is to the next generation of music lovers. We needed to convince the powers-that-be that this music stands on its own and deserves to be judged against each other.”

Now, after years of lobbying from game studios, the Grammys gets its own video game category, with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy looking like a strong favorite.

Although judging from some of the other nominations, it’s not exactly been a bumper year.

IGN’s review of Aliens: Fireteam Elite gave it 7/10 and said: “Aliens: Fireteam Elite does enough right to be plenty worthwhile for a trio of co-op shooter fans who’d rather battle hordes of xenomorphs than the usual zombies. Between the excellent weapons, classes, and enemy types and some wonderful nostalgic hat-tips toward what came before, it's a must-play if you hold any fondness for this series. The caveats, of course, are having to put up with repetitive scenarios and some excruciatingly drawn-out missions. Aliens: Fireteam Elite may not be a triumphant win, but it's far from a game over, man.”

Which of these will take home the first-ever Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media? For now, we’ll have to wait and see… but it feels like this category is off to a very strange start.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

The original Fable could have been entirely different before co-creator Dene Carter turned to an unlikely source of inspiration – Devil May Cry.

“When you're feeling lost: steal it,” he said via Twitter. “100% rip it off from another game.”

Of course, Fable doesn’t do that – at least, not in the way you’re thinking. The themes, ideas, and story of the 2004 RPG are entirely different from Devil May Cry… but the game’s creator revealed that it almost spiraled out of control until he turned to DMC for an idea about the game’s scope.

I'm sure everyone knows this hack already, but I'm going to talk about it anyway, on the off-chance that it saves someone from going completely off-the-rails during their dev. It's a hint about scope, when you're feeling lost: steal it. 100% rip it off from another game.

— Dene Carter (@Fluttermind) November 14, 2022

“How did the world of Fable become that size? Because I'd played [Devil May Cry] and noticed that the world was something like 82 zones,” he explained. “It didn't seem excessive. It re-used and re-contextualised areas. It worked for a relatively short, but high-quality game.”

Carter goes on to explain how that helped. Essentially, he copied the way DMC used these zones in order to map out the world of Albion.

“I literally counted the number of zones, the size of those zones, and the average time spent in those zones, and used that to block out the entire world of Albion,” he said. “At the time we were spiraling out of control, convinced we had to make something 'big' (whatever that meant).”

Yes, it looks as though Fable developers had quite a grand vision. Instead, Carter refocused the game’s development with the scope of DMC in mind… and there were a few other inspirations, too.

“Literally copying the scope of DMC, the interaction density of Silent Hill, and the encounter style of the first Way of the Samurai changed Fable from a floppy, undefined, never-ending death march to something we could actually complete *without* ever having worked on a 3D game.”

IGN’s review of Fable gave it 9.3/10 and said: “Fable opens a door for you, lets you see this wondrous treasure that the idea of an open world, competing heroes, and NPC interactions can offer -- but it doesn't let you through. There are a lot of great notions in the game that aren't fully realized. As I played, I kept thinking, ‘Why didn't they do this or that,’ but in the end, I still had a blast playing Fable, and to me that makes all the difference.”

Want to read more about Fable? Check out what Fable creator Peter Molyneux wants from a new Fable as well as our top 10 best original Xbox games.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

MultiVersus Season 2 begins today, and Warner Bros. Games has shared some of the content headed to the crossover fighting game. Season 2 will bring a handful of new challengers, and the first confirmed new fighter is Looney Tunes' Marvin the Martian. The character hails from Mars and is sent to destroy Earth, but he never quite succeeds. WB Games says more details about Marvin's kit are coming soon.

A new stage based on Game of Thrones is also here for Season 2. The iconic Iron Throne rests in the background of the stage, and the music is an all-new remix of the Game of Thrones theme music.

Season 2's Battle Pass is full of new badges, icons, banners, and taunts to unlock. There are also new Character Variants along both the Free and Premium Battle Pass tracks, like Baker Street Tom & Jerry and Astronaut Velma.

WB Games also released the patch notes for Season 2, and you can check out some of the highlights below:

• There are no Battle Pass tiers without rewards
• You can equip up to three badges at once
• The 'Silly Queue' includes for-fun game modes and items
• New game type: Big Head Mode
• Three new items added: Bounce Pad, Proximity Mine, and Drumstick
• New cosmetics include Uncle Shagworthy and Samurai Batman
• The Space Jam map now keeps score of baskets made
• The intro tutorial has been simplified
• Character balance updates and network/latency improvements also added

MultiVersus' first season featured a ton of crazy crossovers, including Gremlins star Gizmo, Black Adam, and more. The game got off to a hot start, debuting as the best-selling game in the U.S. in July, crossing 10 million players along the way. There could be more exciting characters on the way, with a recent leak of Mark Hamill's Joker potentially coming to the game.

We called WB's take on the platform fighting game great in our MultiVersus review, saying "MultiVersus may need time to grow its currently limited selection of stages and characters to meet its bright potential, but its foundations are already rock solid."

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

Sony has published a patent suggesting the company is looking into blockchain and NFT technology for tracking in-game assets in video games.

The patent, reported by Eurogamer, is called Tracking Unique In-Game Digital Assets Using Tokens on a Distributed Ledger, and the included diagram lays out mechanics for tracking changes in ownership, visual appearance, or metadata of digital assets. The patent says the digital assets could range from moments of gameplay to in-game items or characters.

Sony's patent describes technology that could track the history of an in-game item as it's passed from player to player, which is one of the core ideas behind NFTs. In the patent, Sony said "there is no way to differentiate a specific instance of an in-game item that a famous player of the video game used to win a famous tournament from any other instance of the in-game item."

The patent description also says people find it "meaningful" to own or use unique items related to respected celebrities or activities.

It's worth pointing out that PlayStation filed this patent in July of 2021, before greater controversy surrounding NFTs came to the forefront.

PlayStation previously dipped its toe into the world of NFTs at EVO 2022. In a player survey, PlayStation asked fans what kinds of NFTs they would be interested in buying. The possible answers listed included NFTs based on Evo, music artists, esports, PlayStation items, and favorite game characters.

Sony's new PlayStation Stars rewards program features a form of digital collectibles, but the company said the rewards are "definitely not NFTs" because "you can't trade them or sell them."

NFT speculation has been a big part of the video game news cycle in 2022 beyond just PlayStation. GameStop introduced a crypto/NFT wallet and EA continues to evaluate the technology. Multiple studios have spoken out against NFTs, with many developers signing an anti-NFT pledge and Minecraft avoiding implementing NFTs or blockchain technology.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.